'Say It Ain't So' Joe Lieberman Dines Sans Dems

In case you were worried, Sen. Joe Lieberman (I-Conn.) didn't dine alone Tuesday. On the first day of his self-imposed exile from the weekly Senate Democratic Caucus lunches, Lieberman joined retiring Sen. John Warner (R-Va.) in giving a speech to the Pew Charitable Trusts about their stalled joint climate change bill.

Even after his speech at the Republican National Convention, Connecticut Democrat -turned-Independent Joe Lieberman is finding lunch dates. (Photo by Joe Raedle/Getty Images)

Given the dicey situation with his support of GOP presidential nominee John McCain, Lieberman has decided to avoid more awkwardness with Democrats by skipping the rest of their caucus lunches this year.

His decision was reached as part of a gentleman's agreement with Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid early last year, according to Lieberman spokesman Marshall Wittman. At the time, Lieberman agreed not to attend meetings about Iraq policy. But now that the caucus meetings will almost surely all include some discussion of presidential politics until Election Day, Lieberman, McCain's No. 1 Democratic supporter (yes, Lieberman is still a registered Democrat), won't be sitting down to free lunches in the Senate's LBJ Room with Democrats until after the election -- if then.

Suffice it to say, Democrats heaved a huge sigh of relief over Lieberman's decision, though none dared say so publicly given their tenuous one-vote hold on power in the Senate. Reid made a point to say it was Lieberman's decision, not his. In the same breath, however, he mocked Lieberman's support of McCain and noted the Connecticut senator was too busy Tuesday to even return a phone call from the majority leader about unnamed topics. "That's a private matter," Reid said.

Republicans aren't saying how open their arms will be to greet Lieberman next year if Democrats kick him to the curb and strip him of all his committee assignments. But they sure are sending peace signals. Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.), whose party stands to lose a few seats in November and would probably take whatever add-ons he could get, called Lieberman "quite courageous" for backing McCain so publicly.

Of course, we bet the courageous senator is praying McCain wins the White House and makes him secretary of defense or U.N. ambassador -- anything to get him out of the Senate, where the number of his Democratic friends has dwindled.

Meanwhile...

Lieberman's legislative director, Joe Goffman, announced his resignation this week in an email to other Senate aides. Goffman was effusive in his praise of Lieberman, saying, "The senator, my colleagues on his staff and all of you have granted me an extraordinarily precious experience that I will treasure for the rest of my life."

Goffman has no job lined up yet. He'll leave on Sept. 30 at the end of this session of Congress. Asked whether his departure had anything to do with Lieberman's support of McCain, Goffman told the Sleuth, "My plans have absolutely nothing to do with politics and are based solely on my desire to expand my professional horizons. For every day of the three and a half years I have been here I have found it to be an extraordinary honor and a privilege to work for Senator Lieberman, in no small part because it offered the chance to spend time with, and support professionally, a person who is deeply courageous, decent and honorable and who is equally deeply a dedicated public servant and legislator."

An Anchorage judge three years ago warned Sarah Palin and members of her family to stop "disparaging" the reputation of Alaska State Trooper Michael Wooten, who at the time was undergoing a bitter separation and divorce from Palin's sister Molly.

Allegations that Palin, her husband Todd, and at least one top gubernatorial aide continued to vilify Wooten—after Palin became Alaska's governor and pressured state police officials to take action against him—are at the center of "Troopergate," a political and ethical controversy which has embroiled Palin's administration and is currently the subject of an official inquiry by a special investigator hired by the state legislature.

(Court records obtained by NEWSWEEK show that during the course of divorce hearings three years ago, Judge John Suddock heard testimony from an official of the Alaska State Troopers' union about how Sarah Palin—then a private citizen—and members of her family, including her father and daughter, lodged up to a dozen complaints against Wooten with the state police. The union official told the judge that he had never before been asked to appear as a divorce-case witness, that the union believed family complaints against Wooten were "not job-related," and that Wooten was being "harassed" by Palin and other family members.

Court documents show that Judge Suddock was disturbed by the alleged attacks by Palin and her family members on Wooten's behavior and character. "Disparaging will not be tolerated—it is a form of child abuse," the judge told a settlement hearing in October 2005, according to typed notes of the proceedings. The judge added: "Relatives cannot disparage either. If occurs the parent needs to set boundaries for their relatives."

They both CLAIM to be BORN-AGAIN CHRISTIANS....which brings us to our HIGHPOINT. I'll just play DEVIL'S ADVOCATE if you will, One of the 7 deadliest sins in the Judeo-christian bible is LYING. Prvs. 6:16-19 The seven deadly sins. vrs 19 states, "a FALSE WITNESS who pours out LIES and a man/woman who stirs up DISSENSION among brothers (family).

CAN ANY
ONE POLITICAL PARTY BE PROVEN MORE CORRUPT AND DECIETFUL AS THE UNDONE REPUBLICAN PARTY???

Yet the majority of those who attest to Christ relentlessly support them. What is this saying about these Christians, their ability to discern right from wrong, to take up a balanced stance for Christ, to influence, those who their bible says they should influence ie the LOST, AND HELP IN THE SOCIETY?

If you elect CRIMINALS SUCH AS George W. Bush Richard Cheney, these CRIMINALS appoint EVIL MEN such as Karl Rove,
THESE people in turn use crooked politics to divide our rich from poor, destroy our middle class, pit black against white, latino against, white and black..... men against women ie SEXISM then as a result our nation suffers GREATLY THROUGH WAR AND OCCUPATION (based on lies) and then eight years later having prayed and asked your God why is our country turning in this direction why are these people using OUR VOTES AGAINST OUR BEST INTEREST???

Your Bible has another POWERFUL PHRASE to answer your questions and PRAYERS...'CONSIDER YOUR WAYS'...Week after week month after month you are taught the 'so-called ways of LOVE and GOD, yet you live, think, behave, and even vote CONTRARY to what it is you are supposed to be. RIGHTEOUS.

Over the last eight years where they (THE REPUBLICAN PARTY RNC/GOP), for the majority of that time WIELDED the power in both the Legislative and Judicial branches of Government AS well as the Presidency, what did they do? Where is our Nation today. Let's see Almost bankrupt, indebted to an enemy Communist China, quagmired in an OCCUPATION IN iRAQ, on the verge of an unsolicited war an OCCUPATION in Iran, looking as truthfully HYPOCRITICAL as our nation CURRENTLY IS, by accussing Russia of ROGUE activities in Georgia as though what we DID to IRAQ wasn't exactly the same thing, losing our middle class which has strunk under Bush/Cheney, by at least 40%, unemployment having begun to skyrocket..ETC. Sorry McSame/Carabou Barbie but we know the only thing that you guys think you get is

"Let's divert, character assassinate, and pretend to be hardcore christians, who love jesus but hate our nation."

A pig is a pig regardless of what you do to it. You can wash it up, clean it, spray it with perfume, or cologne, raise it up in a spoiled ELITIST ENVIRONMENT yet, it is still a pig. A pig can't help but stay in the mudd and roll around with the FILTH, the STENCH, and THE DUNG, AND the other pigs who live in the mudd. That is why pigs seem so comfrotable doing what only pigs do. Like a dog that eats it's own vomit is the pig to return and roll in the mudd with the STENCH, the FILTH, and the DUNG.

History repeats itself if you do not learn from it. It is sad that our economy is so bad, companies are going under left and right, and we have the highest job losses on record. But go ahead vote on your beliefs. I grew up in the 1980's and all of the strip malls were empty and crime was high due to unemployment. Looks like as an adult I get to watch it all happen a second time for probably the same reasons.

HYPOCRITE OBAMA! HE REALLY LET US DOWN! WHAT OTHER LIES IS HE GOING TO SPREAD NOW? HE PROMISED CHANGE, BUT WHO REALLY LOOKED OUT OF THE BOX? SENATOR CLINTON DEMOCRATS FOR CHANGE AND FOR SENATOR MCCAIN! THIS CAMPAIGN IS GOING TO GET REAL NASTY AND OBAMA STARTED IT BY CALLING GOVERNOR PALIN A PIG. I WONDER IF HE''S LOOKED AT HIS WIFE''S LIPS LATELY? SHE''S NO GODESS EITHER. STAY FOCUSED OR THINGS WILL REALLY GET OUT OF HAND. THIS IS AS GREAT AS BIDEN TALKING A DEFEATEST ATTITUDE TODAY! YOUR ARROGANCE IS GOING TO BITE YOU ALL. DON''T COME CRYING TO ME.

That Lieberman is so blind to all the travesties committed by a Republican president and six years of Republican Congress by supporting McBush-on-Steroids shows how non-Democratic he is. He tacitly backs a man who has no policies, can only run on a personal, boring and over-used war history--the war ended 35 years ago; get over it--and who has resorted to tawdry smear tactics. Lieberman's one precious vote in the Senate has proven to be of no consequence, because nothing has depended upon a single vote. I believe the Democrats ought to give Lieberman the boot. He is a silly little man of no consequence, and even McBush screwed him over.

Since when has Lieberman ever been a Democrat? I can't believe he was on the Gore ticket just 8 yrs ago... he's been a Rethuglican in Democratic clothing ever since. Here's the easy litmus test: If Sean "Right Wing Hack" Hannity says anything at all good about you, you're not a democrat.

Let them feel the sword of the Spartan upon the field of battle. You can thank your happless, corrupt, self serving, do nothing, 9% public approval rated, democraticaly controled Senate myrmidons for this stirring abandonment.

YOU GO JOE... YOU GO.... RIGHT ON OVER TO THE OTHER SIDE!

BTW.... don't forget to thank your fascist, liberal hack, DNC chairman. The "Prince" of all village idiots. Remember.... it takes a village.

Let's be honest! Mr. Lieberman is neither a Democrat nor a Republican. Mr. Lieberman belongs to the American "Likud" Party of one and is regally financed by AIPAC and the other neocon pro-Israel front organizations! There are precise words for people like Mr. Lieberman, but simple civility prevents their usage. CT Resident

Lieberman is one of those people that should never be trusted. He is a modern version of JAGO, the hypocritical and treacherous character from the opera Otello. LIEBERMAN IS NOTHING BUT AN UNSCRUPULOUS MERCENARY, who pretends to be a friend of the Democrats, while calling himself an Independent, just to get re-elected, but in essence he is and has been a Republican. Lieberman is one of those typical mercenaries that has no principles or scruples, and will offer his services and vote to the highest bidder. Right now he is betting on McCain because he's hoping that if McCain wins McCain will reward him with a prestigious appointment--maybe he wants to be the U.S. ambassador in Israel.

I said it last night in a response to Ben Pershing's post about Senator Lieberman skipping the Democratic caucus lunches.

If Senator McCain wins the Presidency, and should Senator McCain want to appoint Senator Lieberman to Secretary of State or Secretary of Defense or Ambassador to Luxembourg, Senator Lieberman would face confirmation hearings in a Democratic controlled Senate.

Would the Democratic Senators vote to confirm him? I doubt it. Knowing that his political career is OVER, the Democrats in the Senate would like to push the proverbial "knife" in a bit further and prevent him from achieving "one more moment".

The Democratic Senators would simply want him to sit on the sidelines - without his cherished Homeland Security Committee Chairmanship and any meaningful committee assignments. Essentially, the Democrats would want him to live out his pathetic political life wondering what might have been should he have supported the Democratic nominees for President and Vice-President.

If Senator Obama wins, then Senator Lieberman doesn't even end up with an appointment and the hope that his colleagues would approve his appointment. His politcal life becomes even more pathetic and becomes so earlier.

Joe Lieberman should be admired for standing up for what or who he believes in. Especially during election time, dont we get tired of this partisanship that we get in every response of the democrats as well as republicans. It's very encouraging and refreshing when you feel that there are politicians that are truly saying what they believe in rather than what people want to hear - or what will get them elected. It is all a power trip at our expense. Give me a woman or man that will stand up for what he believes in any day. If Lieberman believes in McCain as the best choice for president that should tell all of you democrats something. Obama is not capable of leading this country. Maybe ten years ago but not in this global environment. He is a novice and there is no time for on-the-job training. You people who spue such venom at the Republicans are nuts. You must have alot of inner turmoil in your own lives. Find another outlet. And open your eyes and minds to other information - the truth.

Posted by: whycan't we all just get along | September 11, 2008 10:10 AM
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Need a break from - Schmit/Rove/McCain/Bush Attack Ads?

Democrats and Obamacans's courting all Republican and Independent Voters!

Obama’s message rings of a “Beautiful day coming to America” which is similar to Reagan’s “Its morning in america again”

ROBERTSON wouldn't know a socialist if it bit him in the ass. What do you call using taxpayer's money to support a private business whose incompetent executives made the business fail?? The employees of the business will suffer, but do you think the execs will lose one minute of sleep or one dollar?
TO CRETIAN (how appropriate)If the nightmare happens and your man McC gets in, you can buy your children and grandchildren a khaki uniform and the first sign of a prob with Israel, they'll be ready to fight and die for dear old Joe L.

you can have problems with your family and tell them what is wrong but you do not go out in the street and tell the enemy do he thinks john will give him a post does he really think the gop and conservatives will let him john mccain wanted him for president but the right wingers said no and where was john's courage where was the maverick i feel for john because it has to be hard to allow the limiest people in politics to dictate your actions i really think conservatives think there is an isolated place in heaven for them they had better get a grip god is watching so are our children the liars will have their part in the lake will apply to those lies they think won't matter it's sad that the only way they can win elections is to lie and slander so mean they have ruined this country i know there are those who beg to differ i say this because in the their quest to keep things the same they mess up so many lives what i cannot understand is how do places like tenn, ken,ws va,ohio,pa idaho,mich,and any other st who is struggling how can you think these guys care for you you keep electing them and we keep suffering are you or your state better off sit on you bed look around your house look at your schools and your closed plants and take a good look at where you were under dems than rep please wake up people we have got to have a new vision and mccain does not have it he still lives in 1970 we are in the hole china own 60 persent of our debt russia owns 20 how can we bother either of them iraq wasn't a war it was an occupation these people had no way to stand up to us like georgia to russia we took advantage and the rep pumped you up so you would think it was becasue we were big and bad no we went into a country that had no means to fight us iran will be different and russia will be a death wish unless we change leadership and policies i don't want tanks riding down our streets we need a new way to deal with these people who would like to hurt us and maybe if we stop hurting them they would leave us alone wake up america wake up america we need new leadership and not george bush and karl rove politics where the people on the top will not get hurt only us at the grass root level like always kuchnich said it best wake up america wake up america wake up america

I've never before heard so much hate. I thought the Democrats were suppose to be the "LOVE PARTY." What happened? Every comment section in every paper is full and Democrats venting their anger. What's up with that? Okay Dems, let's all take a deep breath and dream about all the government hand-outs you once thought you we going to get with BHO as President. Don't even think about the fact that you may have to work and pay for your own healthcare for the next 8 years after the McCain/Palin victory. That might not make your day. McCain & Palin in 2008!

Actually, in every country that uses it, nationalized health care is cheaper, dollar-for-dollar then private. Our problem here begins with the false belief that privatizing an industry leads to competition which leads to greater efficiency and lower costs. The reality is that privitizing simply allows a few large providers to bully the system while they establish and maintain a near-but-still-legal monopoly and then they charge whatever they feel they can get away with.

There actually IS competition in auto insurance, so the rates remain reasonable.

Medical insurance, energy, oil, pharmaceuticals and others are industries where the competition has been broken and the survivors have teamed together to establish higher rates and higher profits. The only way to correct this is to nationalize an industry until they are again ready to play nice with the public.

I agree with the person who said of Lieberman: "His position is clear, he wants a war with Iran. He wants this because Iran has missles that can reach Israel. His approach to solving problems is clearly in line with the NeoCon dogma."

Yes, Senator Lieberman is neither Democrat nor Republican. He's Likud, through and through. And though it may seem counter-intuitive, the policies he espouses may be the undoing of Israel in the long run. When the "two-state" solution becomes impossible (something Likud's policies, abetted by an ignorant Bush government, may have already accomplished), this leaves two likely alternatives: (1) a ONE-state solution in Israel-Palestine, wherein demographics would quickly spell the demise of Israel as a Jewish state; or (2) a genocide to "ethnically-cleanse" "Eretz Yisrael" of the REST of its indigenous Arab inhabitants.

I think "solution" (2) would be too much for many Israelis (Jews who regard justice as essential to Judaism...God bless them), so what does that leave? It leaves the Likud fighting to get all the land until they have it, and then having, eventually, to recognize the human rights of everyone in it....but only after further decades of conflict and suffering.

There is also a third possibility, though its more remote, and would involve even MORE years of conflict and suffering: if Israel continues to resist a South Africa-style solution long enough, it may be condemning itself to the fate of Zimbabwe.

As I have said before, I agree with the poster who commented on the vile, vitriolic, anger-filled posts that our "love everyone no matter what the cost liberals" who are posting everywhere. But take heart Reps and Inds. The more they do this the more they push people to the McCain/Palin camp.I have found them to be poor losers and even poorer winners. (The Congress which has vowed to reach across the aisle and to get a long list of things done in the first 100 days) They have done neither and, guess what, they have the lowest approval rating ever. Even the
"evil one" they despise so much has them beat. Has anyone thought why?
McCain/Palin 08

Re "socialized central healthcare system," as it is now, the "fat cat" insurance companies are getting richer. The following systems work just fine, thank you: Medicare, Medicade, the VA system (where I receive medical care. Cost is based on income. The care is excellent, organized, and courteous. Other industrialized countries have excellent care at a reasonable cost (Finland, for exampleiiI have visited Finland and observed their health care first hand). The "market" just makes health care cost more and makes the companies rich.

Lieberman is clearly an outstanding advocate for the issues he cares about, and I would guess Senate Democrats snub him at their own peril. That was also a very memorable speech he gave at the Republican convention.